Neighbors plan 2016 celebration for Coeur d’Alene Park
Coeur d’Alene Park turns 125 years old next year, and residents of the surrounding neighborhood are planning a months-long celebration to mark the anniversary.
The 10-acre park known for its distinctive gazebo was deeded to the city in June 1891 by real estate developers J.J. Browne and A.M. Cannon to become the city’s first park. Other parks soon followed.
The Friends of Coeur d’Alene Park is leading the effort to mark the anniversary.
“It’s a good opportunity to bring attention to the park and the fact that it was the start of Spokane’s park system,” said Julie Biggerstaff, president of the friends group.
A dinner is planned for 6:30 p.m. Nov. 7 at Patsy Clark’s Mansion, 2208 W. Second Ave., to raise money for the celebration.
As part of the program during the dinner, the friends organization is going to unveil a new master plan for the park approved by the Spokane Park Board last month as well as present plans for the anniversary celebration.
The events will kick off on May 21 with an Art for the Park day. Then, each of the Thursday night summer concerts will have a theme around the anniversary. The weekly concerts run from July 7 to Aug. 25.
The celebration will conclude with a Park Fest on Sept. 17 with kids activities and live music near the traffic circle at Pacific Street and Cannon Avenue, Biggerstaff said.
A committee of the friends organization is working out the details for the events.
“There’s no shortage of ideas,” Biggerstaff said, “just people to do them.”
Mary Lou Sproul, who is on the committee, said one of the goals of the group is to make Coeur d’Alene Park inviting for residents and a safe experience.
The park’s history traces to the former practice of land developers creating parks in the midst of their developments to attract purchasers.
Coeur d’Alene Park lies between Browne’s Addition to the north and Cannon’s Addition to the south.
The property was valued at $200,000 at the time the developers deeded it to the city.
Today, the county assessor lists the land as worth nearly $3 million.
The park’s most notable landmark is the onion-domed gazebo at the center. The current structure is a rehabilitation of a replica gazebo built in 1990. The replica was made from wood that was rotting, which led to a thorough restoration in 2013 with durable materials. An original gazebo was erected in 1908 and is seen in photographs of the day.
The friends organization was formed in 2013 following the gazebo restoration.
In addition to the Nov. 7 fundraiser, the friends group raised about $1,900 last spring by hosting tours of Patsy Clark’s Mansion during Art Fest.
The Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture is acting as fiscal agent for the friends group.